XenSource, which is being acquired by Citrix, has released an OEM version of its open source Xen virtualisation hypervisor for embedded devices.

XenSource, which is being acquired by Citrix, has released an OEM version of its open source Xen virtualisation hypervisor for embedded devices.

In what may be a first, an embedded virtualisation hypervisor, XenExpress OEM Edition, lets server manufacturers include a full virtualisation platform as a component of every server. The OEM Edition is pre-installed in system flash or on the hard disk, and enables it to boot from multiple BIOS partitions at system power-on, making it ready for the installation of multiple virtual machines.

XenExpress OEM Edition is compatible with Microsoft and VMware virtual machine formats, as well as with Microsoft Windows Server 2008. It also supports Intel's Virtualization Technology (VT) and AMD's Virtualization (AMD-V).

Further, XenExpress OEM Edition is compatible with the newly introduced XenEnterprise v4 and its XenMotion migration, XenCenter management and the company's XenAPI. It also is expected to be compatible with XenEnterprise's high-availability software and the integrated XenSource/Symantec storage management and backup packages.

While it is not known which OEMs will embed XenExpress into their servers, a statement from Dell in the press release suggests that Dell may be the first. XenSource also has agreements with Stratus and Marathon Technologies to integrate virtualisation with their high-availability products.